After The Dance
by The First Gokun
Summary: Sequel to The Dance After Jaune's more or less successful attempt to spread the love during the Beacon Dance, what comes next? Well, how about the "innocent" Ruby growing more interested in the relationship between him and Weiss? How about Cardin adapting to life as a not-bully? How about more fluff? One part redemption fic, one part fluffy ship fodder, one part T for language.
1. Chapter 1

It was a surprise to everyone when it happened.

Ruby woke up before everyone else that morning, and that surprised her. Usually she would wake up just in time for breakfast, by which time her entire team would be up and about. Weiss would probably nag her for oversleeping. Yang would probably treat her like a child. But today was different. Today Ruby woke up before Weiss, before Yang, and even before the notoriously slippery Blake, who was often nowhere to be seen in the early hours of the day, disappearing to the library or wherever she went without anyone noticing.

In a way, it made her happy. It was a feeling of victory, triumphing over the rather low expectations of the highly opinionated girls who shared her dorm. But Ruby wasn't a kid. She was a rational adult, or so she liked to think, and she understood that when she woke up before her roommates something fishy was going on, much the same way one might be suspicious if a wiener dog took first place at a monster truck rally.

Leaning over the side of her bunk, making sure not to cause too much noise and ruin this rare occasion, she cocked an eyebrow. The unusual event unfolding before her was most likely linked to the strange scene on Weiss' mattress. The heiress seemed to have fallen asleep (or perhaps blacked out from exhaustion) in the middle of a wrestling match with Yang. Ruby's sister lay on top of the pajama-clad Schnee in, though she didn't really understand it at the time, a pose that could send fanfiction writers into a lemon frenzy. Blake was in a similarly odd position, swaddled in a blanket at the far corner of her mattress and slumped over an open notebook, pencil in hand.

A hunter didn't get into Beacon without a keen ability to make sense of the situation in a split second, so it very quickly dawned on Ruby that she had woken up before the others because her teammates had been up very very late, engaging in strenuous activity. Recalling the events of last night, Ruby mulled over the motivations of her teammates. Blake was always writing in her notebook, but something big must have happened yesterday to inspire her to stay up all night writing. As for why Weiss and Yang were fighting, that was as much a mystery to her now as it was to her the previous night.

Just what had happened between Weiss and Jaune? What was causing all of this commotion, and why wasn't she allowed to know?

Ruby hopped off of her bed, landing lightly on the carpeted floor without making a sound. No matter how many cookies she gobbled down, the little Huntress was blessed with a minuscule frame that she rarely appreciated. No use to being light in a battle, as it only made her easier to throw around and parry, but that same lightness came very much in handy during a stealth mission. Slowly, channeling her inner Blake, she leaned over her sister's sleeping form and fished a Scroll from her butt pocket.

"Score!" she whispered to herself. Blake said something about a recording, so maybe if she went over the conversation again she would understand what they were talking about. She tapped lightly on the front button to expand and turn on the Scroll.

Crap. Password. 4 digits, huh? Ruby racked her brain for a possible code her sister would choose. How about... her birthday? Nope. What about her name? 9264? Nope. 7829? Negative. 1234? Well, she had to give her sister some credit for not taking the easy way out.

What was important to Yang? Hmmmmmmm...

Got it.

4247\. The number pad faded into Yang's background image, a pair of aviator sunglasses riding another pair of aviator sunglasses over an explosion. Classic Yang.

Ruby shrugged. "I guess Yang's hair is more important to her than I thought." Now where was that recording...

It took a little bit of searching, but she finally found the information she needed. It turned out Yang had actually taken a video from behind the corner, rather than just an audio clip. The holographic preview she was presented with showed a tilted image of Jaune standing outside the dorm room, a sliver of light from the crack in the door painting one golden stripe down his chest. "Gosh darn it, Yang, portrait mode? Really? Who are you, Dad?"

Plugging her headphones into the Scroll, Ruby's finger hovered over the play button. She steeled herself mentally for what might come next. It was only natural to want to know why her partner was troubled. She wasn't a child. Her teammates couldn't keep this mystery from her if they tried. Besides, seeing Weiss flushed like that... disturbed her.

She pressed play.

On screen, Jaune hit the ground with a pretty satisfying "whump". Ruby flung a hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing out loud, a little snort of amusement escaping through her nose. Darn it, she couldn't make noise right now! In her peripheral vision Yang stirred, grabbing for something to hold, then settled with Weiss' body. A happy sigh emanated from the two.

"Well, don't they look comfortable," Ruby said under her breath, then resumed watching the video.

 _'What the heck is wrong with you?'_ Oh, Weiss was angry. Ruby remembered this from last night. Why exactly Weiss was angry, she didn't know; that was one of the things she just chalked up to being Weiss. It always seemed like the heiress was frustrated about something. But understanding her anger was the first step to understanding the situation, so Ruby put that thought aside for later.

 _'It's way too late for me to d-deal with this!'_ Ruby perked up a bit. She stuttered. Weiss didn't stutter all the time, and Ruby smiled at the thought. Stuttering Weiss was cute. It was kind of nice to have this moment on video. A shame that the camera didn't show her face though...

Ruby watched closely as Jaune got to his feet and pulled out the chocolate he had given the RWBY teammates earlier. That was delicious, FYI. Ten out of ten, would devour again. Maybe Weiss just didn't like chocolate? No, there had to be something else, something Ruby missed last night. Back then she was low on sugar and ready for bed, but this time...

Ruby paused the video quickly and made a swift yet soundless scramble for Weiss' bed. She reached far underneath and pulled out one chocolate bar, stored away for the winter in a sudden burst of inspiration, then scurried back to the Scroll.

...this time she had the power of sweets and early-riser-ness. Yes, her early-riser-ness would prove essential in cracking this mystery, and of course cracking this wrapper open.

The video continued. _'Don't worry. I'm not here to confess to you again.'_

 _'AGAIN?'_ Her sister's voice hissed in her ear, and she nearly shrieked in surprise. Because it was hard to hear what they were saying, she had the volume up to max. RIP headphone users, or something.

But the loudmouthed blonde was right. What would Jaune have confessed in the first place? Surely this was integral to the plot of the story, and Ruby racked her brain for possibilities. Maybe... maybe Jaune had some sort of disgusting toe infection? He secretly confessed to Weiss about it, and she got so sick she didn't even want to go near him?

That might work.

No, not possible. Ruby knew what was coming after this scene, and it wasn't possible that Weiss could forgive something that totally, absolutely, horribly gross so quickly.

Now he was giving her the present. A pause, with some more typical Weiss anger. An apology. More angry Weiss. What was the point to it all? Why did Weiss get so upset over presents and "sorry"s? Whenever Ruby made a present for her dad, it cheered him right up. When she said sorry, she was forgiven. So what was the problem with the situation?

 _'If I had to say... I guess I'd say I'm sorry for confessing to you.'_

Yep, he definitely said something gross. What else could he be talking about? But it just didn't make sense as a long term answer. No, there was something Ruby was missing, something going far over her head. Eventually, she'd have that traditional stroke of genius, look up and realize just how obvious the answer was.

Moreover, Yang was a terrible cameraman. First the portrait mode, now this weird shaking. No future in photography for this girl, not with the odd squealing sounds she was making over their voices. It was getting pretty annoying.

 _'...a guy like me, asking you out...'_

What? He asked her out... where? To the movies? To see the town? To hang out?

There it was. She heard the cartoon light bulb go off. Stroke of genius acquired. The events of the past week were all interconnected! Jaune asked Weiss out to the dance, and she was too busy to go with a boy, so he felt bad about it. Well, it sounded reasonable enough.

 _'...you don't have to worry about any ulterior motives or anything...'_

If he asked her to the dance, and she declined, but she felt bad about it, then why wouldn't she be a little frustrated? Weiss probably felt bad about not being able to hang out with her friend Jaune. Okay, maybe not friend, as the heiress liked to point out, but he was still a companion in their little happy adventure group of (Ruby quickly counted) 8. Wait, 10, if you count Sun and Neptune. No, Cardin too, right? And what about Velvet? Oh no, her friends list was growing too fast! They'd never be able to host a big enough sleepover!

 _'Good night.'_

Suddenly, Weiss' pale hand came into view. And wrapped around Jaune's. And held it.

This was where things got difficult.

Weiss' voice lowered considerably, and it was difficult to hear what she was talking about over Yang's commentary: a "heh!" here, an "oooh!" there. It was enough to make Ruby genuinely ticked at her sister. Honestly, she was getting in the way of scientific research! And eavesdropping. But enough about that.

Why wouldn't Jaune turn around? Didn't his mother teach him to look his conversation partner in the eye? It was kind of weird seeing him like that, with his head hung and his back hiding his face from view. Not knowing what Jaune Arc was thinking made it weird. Usually his emotions were written all over his face, just like Ruby. It was one way that she thought they were the same. But here, he was hiding.

She couldn't see Weiss' face. She couldn't see Jaune's face. What was she supposed to get from this?

Then he turned. The Yang on video drew a sharp breath and held it. The camera held still.

Ruby had never seen that expression before.

 _'Just please... don't stop loving me.'_

Weiss words came, barely a whisper. And yet that minuscule sound made Ruby's chest tighten up as if her torso was caught up in fishing line. This new voice that she'd never heard was pulling at all of her strings, and pulling them tight.

She tried to rationalize it. There was no doubt in her mind that team RWBY was held together by the bonds of love and youthful fighting spirit. Team JNPR joined to them in a similar manner (and SSSN, and CFVY, and CRDL of course, but small numbers made it easier for her to organize her thoughts) so it only made sense that Jaune and Weiss felt that same love for each other, by association at the least. If they were closer friends now, that was fantastic. Love, love, love, love. Ruby knew exactly what love was. So what was this _love_ that was causing the aching in her body?

The video had long come to an end, but Ruby was still sitting cross legged, overwhelmed by the sudden flood of questions that followed the first. Why were her friends so different from their usual selves? What were all these new faces, sounds, emotions? These were the same Jaune and Weiss, right? Why did they feel so distant from her, as if existing on a separate plane of existence above Ruby and the others?

How could she follow them there?

That was the thought that sparked her fascination.

* * *

 **Wiener dogs and monster trucks are now canon in the RWBYverse. I hope.**

 **Yeah, I wanted to start this fic with Ruby's POV. Weird, right? But I'm just gonna roll with it and hope it works out.**

 **Tell me where I went right, where I went wrong. Review me, beat me, praise me, make me who I am. I hope that sounded romantic. Either way, have a wonderful day you guys, and love yourselves long time :)**


	2. Chapter 2

It was a surprise to everyone when it happened.

Cardin was in the library, and early in the morning at that.

Well, it had already happened a couple times in the past week, but that didn't make it any less shocking. Ever since the rumors began flying around the Beacon dance with Cardin unexpectedly at the center (and a little to the left), he'd been consistently defying his character type. Who knew, for example, that he could read in the first place?

The Hunter turned his head suddenly and shot a glare at a group of early risers in the checkout line. Maybe it was his imagination, but he'd felt as if someone was insulting him behind his back. Yes, that cunning and brutal gaze had yet to dull with his softening reputation. Locking eyes with him would be perceived a challenge no doubt, and woe betide any who dared throw down the gauntlet before the bristling Winchester.

His aggressive appearance almost offset the green canvas tote bag under his arm, filled to the brim with paperbacks.

Cardin smirked. He could still turn heads, despite what Jaune said. Ooooh, he was so bad... _Hey, this looks like a good read._

The reason he was in the library at this time was simple; none of his roommates would be up before announcements today. No class today, thanks to mission distribution and field work. That meant he could get to the library, quickly snag a few books (from the Poetry section this time, which he had never set foot in until today) and stow them away in his room without Dove or Lark raising an eyebrow. Russel didn't matter. Russel was insignificant. And Cardin was still a little mad at him for confessing to Pyrrha before him, but that didn't really matter.

Why did he have to sneak around? As the alpha male of his team (or captain, as the nerds called it), it only made sense to Cardin that whatever he said went without question. If he sat down and said, "I'm gonna be reading Shakespeare for the next hour, don't bother me," wouldn't they just obey? It made perfect sense to him when he reasoned it out. The alpha made the rules, and the team (and Russel) could only nod their heads.

But a little deeper down, right below the surface, was a fear. A fear that opening the book in front of them was an invitation for a knife in the back. A fear that the position of alpha male wasn't concrete as he had previously thought, but crumbling beneath him the softer he got.

Maybe it wasn't just his imagination.

Cardin slipped the book in his bag and made his way to checkout. Even at this early hour, there was a line. The last guy looked fairly weak, slim arms and hunched posture. Cardin looked him up and down, instinctively searching for weaknesses to take advantage of. If he just puffed out his chest and narrowed his eyes...

No, he was going to turn over a new leaf. No matter how boring it was, he could at the very least wait in line for a few minutes.

...

Finally reaching the front desk, he reached for a complimentary bookmark and tore it to shreds behind his back, ignoring the reproachful glare of the checkout lady. Twenty minutes, whatever. He didn't care.

* * *

Thank Monty there were no classes that day, or Jaune and the rest of team JNPR would have been thoroughly and utterly screwed. Pyrrha first opened her eyes around 8 AM, followed by Jaune at 9 and Nora at 9:30. When the hammer wielder hopped to attention with such a wide grin on her face, the two partners couldn't help but shoot her the dirtiest looks possible. Last night had wiped all of them out completely, what with Nora's 'episode'. She only giggled and licked a spot of chocolate off of her fingers

Around 10 o'clock they began to enter panic mode. While there weren't any classes scheduled, a meeting in the main hall was going to take place in half an hour or so, and Ren was still fast asleep. At first they'd been careful and gentle with their attempts to rouse him, but it became progressively more evident that the green loving sloth boy was a very, _very_ heavy sleeper. Poking and prodding, whispers, alarms, shaking, cold water, warm water (which Nora suggested deviously, but was immediately shot down by Pyrrha), slapping and even physically moving him out of bed had all proven ineffectual. If it weren't for his steady breathing, they might have assumed the worst.

By 10:20 the team had already given up. But that was no reason to miss the assembly, so they did all they could do: put Ren in uniform and bring him downstairs by force.

"Are you serious?" Pyrrha said, skeptical of Jaune's plan.

"Look, if he's not waking up we'll just have to carry him to the main hall. He'll wake up eventually... right?" Jaune glanced over to Nora, asking for a more experienced opinion. She returned his glance with a shrug.

"Renren can sleep for a long time sometimes. Usually he needs, like," she counted on her fingers, "8 hours of sleep? At least."

"Pyrrha, what time did we go to bed last night?"

The redhead shuddered. "Last I checked it was 4 AM, but I think she held Ren hostage for the longest."

The two of them shared a worried look and shivered up and down. Pyrrha sighed and said, "Alright, let's go with your plan."

"Yeah!" Suddenly Jaune's face fell as he realized the consequences of his plan. "Wait, he needs to be dressed, right? How do we do that?"

The girls both blushed. "You can handle that, right Jaune?"

"What?" he spluttered, more than a little uncomfortable with the idea of stripping one of his few male friends. "What about Nora? You've known each other for long enough. You're his partner, right?"

The valkyrie's face reddened further. "Jaune, I told you, we're not partners! Well, I guess we are _partners_ , but not like that, like the professional kind of partners, in which there's no weird ooey gooey feelings, y'know, right? Like you and Pyrrha, kind of, except not really, 'cause we're friends and we go way back and take care of each other and y'know what maybe I'll just stop talking for a little bit and go to the bathroom so yeah take care of this _bye_." Throughout her speech she casually inched her way to the door until she finally had enough of an opening to bolt for the locker rooms.

Jaune and Pyrrha watched her escape with open mouths. She shifted her gaze to him, and he finally folded. "I got it, I'll change Ren."

"I'll just wait outside," she murmured. Pyrrha backed out the door and shut it behind her to give the two boys some privacy.

"No point beating around the bush, I guess..." Jaune went into Ren's luggage and pulled out his usual outift, laying it out on the bed beside him. Then, hesitating for just a moment, he grabbed Ren's t-shirt and pulled it over the sleeping boy's head. At the very least, he wouldn't be performing a _debriefing_ right before the debriefing.

With little regard for Ren's comfort, he heaved him roughly onto the open tailcoat and worked his arms into the sleeves. Flipping Ren over again and wrapping him like a burrito, he grumbled. "Why does he have to wear such complicated clothes? Just use a hoodie like the rest of us." Come to think of it, Jaune always felt plainly dressed next to his teammates. Why was that? Oh well.

Roughly, he yanked down Ren's pajama sweats. (kyaa~)

"Now where did his shoes go," he said, looking around as he hoisted Ren into his pants. A yawn came from above, startling him.

"Jaune?"

They locked eyes, a startled blue to a sleepy magenta.

"..."

"..."

"Well I guess I should have expected this."

"Can you let go of my butt?"

"You just had to make it weird, Ren..."

* * *

"Look Ren, it was the only way."

"I know," Ren said. "I already told you it was fine. Don't worry about it."

"No, really. I don't want there to be any misunderstandings between us. You're my first guy friend here."

The two boys, fully clothed and ready for action, exited the dorm. Jaune closed the door behind him.

"I just wouldn't be able to handle it if things got awkward between us because I touched your bu-"

"Hi guys!"

From RWBY's dorm emerged the beautiful, busty, bouncy, bubbly blonde Yang (whose name commonly interfered with alliteration attempts). Blake followed closely behind, stone cold silent in the face of the bizarre conversation she had overheard.

"...guys?"

"H-h-h-h-HI Yang!" Jaune said with heterosexual zeal, as if squeezing the last of his masculinity into the greeting would be enough to quell any questioning glances.

"Good morning Yang." Ren didn't seem bothered, but the slight touch of pink on his cheeks made it clear he wasn't too comfortable being in this situation either. He got moving down the hall, maintaining a conversational yet guarded pace.

Blake's mouth didn't move, but her brain was racing at a million miles per second. The shipper within her had already taken control. As if the Jaune/Weiss scene last night wasn't enough, she got to wake up to yaoi undertones? _Yessssss..._

Yang narrowed her eyes and scrutinized Jaune's awkward grin. "Oh, I see. So once you caught Weiss you got cocky and thought you could make a move on your next target?"

"NONONONONONONONONONO!" he cried, denying furiously. "Wait, 'caught'?"

Suddenly, a cooing voice caught his attention from behind the two RWBY members. "...can't wait to see you, I can't believe how cute you are!" With an unfamiliar expression on her face (were those... goo goo eyes?), Weiss bid farewell to someone behind the door and let it close behind her. Then she turned her gaze to him and froze. Evidently his presence hadn't been anticipated, but then again he wouldn't have expected himself to be loitering around at this time either.

She looked just as beautiful as the night before. The nightie may have been a tempting sight, but the comforting familiarity of her normal attire tugged at the corners of his mouth, threatening to force Jaune's features into a goofy smile.

Wait, who was she talking to?

Jaune tried to peer around Weiss to get a glimpse of whoever Weiss had been fawning over, but the door was already shut tight. A minor sense of panic gave his lungs a quick squeeze, but he calmed himself. She was probably just chatting with Ruby. A little more... gooey than usual, but that was alright. His mind began to drift; if she was feeling more intimate than usual, then maybe he could try to be a little more...

"Hi!" Weiss shouted, shocking Jaune out of his inner monologue.

"H-h-hi!" he shouted.

A silence.

"Well, I'm going this way!" Weiss declared.

"Oh, well..." Jaune began, then stopped dead in his tracks because he was headed in the same direction. Would it be a little awkward for her if they walked side by side? She was probably feeling nervous, right? Dammit, where had all the confidence from last night gone?! He screwed up his face in concentration and gave himself a mental push.

"I'm going the same way! How about we go together?"

Weiss made an involuntary noise that sounded a bit like "awk". _Wait, together? Together together, as Nora would say?_ Weiss processed the request like an animal throw into a fight or flight scenario, her eyes darting from side to side begging someone to lend her an excuse. Whether this excuse was in favor or against conversing with Jaune was besides the point; Weiss simply didn't want to be responsible for the outcome. If she agreed, she'd be made fun of, but if she declined she'd be the villain, betraying her words from the night previous. Above all, she wanted to preserve the meaning in those words, and that meant no more Ice Witch. Unfortunately, Ice Witch was the only personality she could rely on at a moment's notice. One of her friends had to throw her a line, right?

She cast her gaze to her left. Yang and Blake were both giving her raised eyebrows, anticipating her response. No help from those two. Pyrrha and Nora were both long gone by the looks of it. She tried to signal Ren to bail her out, but the quiet boy had turned his back on the others, shoulders drooping in defeat. Somehow he'd already been forced to surrender to the morning's tribulations.

Suddenly, Ruby enters the fray! With a... backpack?

 _Doesn't matter_.

"Hey guys, what's going on?"

"Plenty, actually!" Weiss answered, doing a bad impression of her usual haughty tone.

"Huh? Oh yeah, plenty!" Jaune jumped on board immediately, half agreeing with Weiss because she was Weiss but half because the awkward silence following his question had slapped the man out of him. At least no one could deny that he was acting like Jaune.

"Ruby, we should hurry up, we don't want to be late for the meeting today!"

"Huh? Well, you're awfully excited today!" Ruby nudged Weiss in the ribs and gave her a knowing glance. "I bet you can't wait to jump on the toughest mission possible, right?"

"Right! Right!" Weiss cheered, rubbing her ribs where Ruby had stuck her elbow. Somehow her performance made her left side ache.

"Alrighty, let's gooo!" Ruby broke into a jog, and Weiss followed, mimicking the younger Huntress' enthusiasm. Now wasn't the time to talk with Jaune, not yet. Since their talk she had no time to reason out to herself just how they would interact from her on out. Their relationship had changed, right? Well, not _relationship_ relationship, as Nora may or may not have put it.

She'd talk with him later.

* * *

Jaune watched Weiss beat a heated retreat in her icy dress and couldn't help but feel warm. Their relationship had changed, hadn't it? Sure, it wasn't the usual frigid disregard, but something about being awkwardly avoided instead of coolly sidestepped stuck a sharp pain in his left breast. A pang of love sickness? Probably. One can only endure so much cute from the object of their affections before their heart starts bursting.

"Oh, wipe that goofy smile of your face," Yang chuckled, delivering a slap to his back that practically knocked the wind out of his swelling chest. "You're so easy to please, I wonder why she even tries."

"Eh? She's trying? Trying what?" Jaune pressed Yang for answers, wide blue eyes sparkling with a hopeful curiosity.

"Trying to avoid you?" Blake suggested, causing Jaune to crash into the ground in despair. "Calm down, it was just a joke."

She and Yang started walking to the meeting hall side by side with the silent Ren. Jaune laughed it off and followed behind his friends. The need for punctuality was so far down his priorities list that he practically waltzed himself down the corridor. In fact, if his priorities list could be printed out and read it would probably look something like this:

1) Talk with Weiss Schnee

2) Be around Weiss Schnee

3) Come up with more cute nicknames for Weiss Schnee

4) Be a cool guy (postponed indefinitely)

5) Weiss Schnee

Maybe he could even hang out with her in their free time? Just the two of them? Kind of like a date?

No, no room for uncertainty.

He'd talk with her later.

* * *

 **Shakespeare is also now canon. Perhaps I should've changed the name to Quakespear or something more Hunter-y.**

 **Here it is, Chapter 2! Sorry for the delay, but I've had issues with my grades and studying and tests and etc. etc. BUT I still somehow fought through all the horrible story ideas and stupid distractions to bring you a story that I consider acceptable. And the episode with Ren... let's just say it was a moment of weakness for me.  
**

 **The POV is slightly mixed between Jaune and Weiss because I wanted to make it as smooth as possible, but I'm not so sure about the results. What do you guys think? Also, the ideas I've got so far are all based around what happens in canon, but feel free to submit your own JaunexWeiss fantasy you want me to try my hand at! Cute fluff is good stuff, after all. (rhyme status: eh)**

 **I'm incredibly freaked out over this series because I want it to be the best it can be, for all you guys, you faithful story followers and all the shippers who want to read some JaunexWeiss fluff stuff. With that in mind, TELL ME if I mess up! TELL ME if you think something could be changed! TELL ME if you find a typo (lord knows I miss too many of them)! And of course, thanks so much for reading the series thus far. Hang around if you're interested in more!**

 **Have a fantabulous day :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Weiss stood proud, one hand on her hip, heels firmly planted on the auditorium floor. Anyone looking at her blindingly bright dress and regal posture would have no doubt of her status as an heiress, trained in correct social conduct since the day of her birth. Unperturbed by the daunting crowd, she stood out even from the back of the room as a shining example of exactly how a Huntress should act: elegant, refined and confident.

That being said, Weiss Schnee was freaking out ever so slightly beneath the surface.

Despite their discussion last night, she was still avoiding Jaune. She couldn't help it, there had been no time to draft a battle plan! She'd had suitors before, yet somehow Jaune was different, and not due to any fault of his own. No, Jaune was different because she realized that what he felt for her wasn't romance in the way she knew it, and this fell out of her training. She had learned the proper way to reject suitors, and then learned the proper way to reject desperate suitors. She had not been prepared for this.

And so, for lack of a better method, she had been winging it entirely. Ad lib. Improvise. On the fly. It was horrible acting, she knew it. Weiss just hoped Jaune had yet to pick up on this half-assed side of her personality.

Weiss shook her head, trying not to think about the knight standing directly behind her, the gaze that she thought she felt flitting across her back. Her ears glowed a faint pink when she realized that it was probably all in her head. Jaune was dedicated to being a Hunter more than anything. She didn't have to worry about him; it just somehow came naturally to her. Best to concentrate on the speech as well.

* * *

 _Weiss is super cute today._

Jaune was thinking to himself as he watched her from behind. Her long white ponytail trailed down her back and danced timidly in the light breeze that perpetually wandered the wide halls of Beacon.

 _Like, really, really cute._

This morning she'd made such an adorable sound. That tiny "awk" resounded in his ears, blocking out Ozpin's words. The very idea that he could get her to make such a noise was exhilirating. He wanted to hear more like that, experience more of her.

 _So gosh darn cute._

She really was a dainty thing, like the reflection in a pond of water. What a pretty thought. He smiled ear to ear. It was so captivating to see the normally chilly Weiss melt her cold exterior a little.

 _Crazy cute, so cute I could die._

It was so different from the Weiss he usually saw, this adorable and flustered angel in white. Compared to the usual Weiss, Jaune could definitively state that this one was approximately three hundred thousand percent cuter.

 _Which Weiss do you want?_

And an unexpected question itched its way into his brain.

* * *

Cardin arrived in the Main Hall alone, trailing behind the flash of blonde hair he recognized as Jaune's. When he saw the boy he almost raised his hand and called out, but decided against it after seeing the knight surrounded by his friends. Cardin's presence was still not as welcome among their circle as he'd like to be, so he chose not to butt in selfishly. Maybe he'd join them later? Or just Jaune. Cardin was pretty sure that Jaune was cool with him.

"Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words to begin." Ms. Goodwitch's voice boomed throughout the room, calling a hush over the crowds of students. Seeing the masses clearly segregated by color and strict school uniform, Cardin couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at the odd ones out, team RWBY and JNPR, who had come in their combat outfits. Somehow, none of them were bothered by sticking out in such a way. _I guess a Hunter just gets used to being different._

Professor Ozpin wasted no time in getting into his speech. He began, pushing up his glasses, on an optimistic note.

"Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for."

What was this, a history lesson? Cardin couldn't stand history; it always made him feel bad about being human. Hearing of people in the past committing heinous crimes and starting bloody wars was sickening, as if he was the one who had done wrong in their stead.

"As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity."

 _Color, huh?_ Cardin mulled over this tidbit silently. Everyone had a color, and that was supposed to promote individuality? Sorting children into categories based on the visible spectrum of light was supposed to teach them to express themselves? Cardin liked red. His favorite color was red. He secretly liked the red tie of the standard Beacon uniform and wore red boxers. The collection of books stowed in his drawer, a few of which were nearing their due date, was more than fifty percent red hardcover. So what did that say about him?

Fire red. Seeing red. Red hot. Paint the town red. Red light.

Flames. Anger. Heat. Violence. Stop.

Maybe Cardin didn't like red as much as he thought he did.

"As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."

As Ozpin concluded his speech, Cardin turned to leave. He'd have to find his teammates (and Russel) to consult with them, but their answer was already obvious in his eyes. In all likelihood they'd simply decide to hang back behind the walls and shadow some minor private eye. As little work as they could get away with, to be precise.

Was he OK with that? Cardin was turning over a new leaf, opening himself up to new people, atoning for his past misdeeds. Did that include laziness? Maybe he should try harder on his education as well as in his social life... Would that be too much? Pushing himself to change could be difficult... no way. All or nothing, that was the Winchester way!

Yes, he was the alpha. And what the alpha says goes.

His sharp eyes spotted a green mohawk cutting through the crowd towards the mission assignments. Without thinking, Cardin broke into a dash and in pursuit of his short team member, his large frame bursting through the crowd. _Sorry. Sorry. Sorry._ He mentally offered an apology to each student he disturbed, but he had to catch Russel before he-

"Woah!"

Russel turned around, perturbed by the noise of heavy footsteps, only to meet the fearsome visage of a charging Cardin. He curled up defensively and braced himself for impact, but Cardin stopped his advance as easily as he started it.

"Hey, Russel!"

"Eh? Wait, what?" Was that just how Cardin was going to walk from now on? With a thundering conviction? Some of the nearby students were looking over concernedly.

"Where are you going?"

"To the mission assignments? The others are there too." Russel pointed awkwardly, and Cardin looked over to see Dove and Sky waving. Walking over briskly, he glanced over the list of missions.

"Hey, there's a really easy one here," Sky remarked.

"How about this one?" Dove asked. "It's an Escort mission. Those are always super simple."

"I hate Escort missions. Let's just shadow an officer for some easy credit."

Cardin looked the list up and down, paying no heed to his lax teammates, and planted his hand on a box with the words Village Security. He punched in the letters C-R-D-L and then confirmed his decision, crossing his arms with a satisfied look on his face. A moment of silence hung over the others. Then all three of them exploded into a flurry of protests.

"Wait, what was that for?"

"Village Security? Are you kidding me? And look at this one, it's crazy dangerous! Why is it even available to first years?"

"Aw man, this is gonna suck! Do you think we can get it changed?"

Cardin smirked. "Don't you like Escort missions, Dove? This is the same idea, except you don't have to travel. Super simple."

"But..."

"Got a problem with my decision?"

The three of them shied away from Cardin's grimace. He mentally highfived himself for being threatening, but decided to tone it back. "C'mon. It'll be... fun. And a good team building experience." And with a smile that straddled the line between with usual smirk and a friendlier grin, he left. Team CRDL's remnants chattered amongst themselves.

"Did he say 'team'?"

"I don't remember Cardin ever being concerned with the 'team'."

"What's gotten in to him..." Russel wondered.

* * *

After Ozpin had finished Jaune remained in the meeting hall for a moment, still a little dazed by the morning's events. He remembered little to nothing of Ozpin's speech, but that didn't matter; not only was the gist conveyed easily within the first few sentences, Pyrrha had him covered with her meticulous memory. Now all there was left to do was to go sign up for a mission and spend the rest of the day thinking about Weiss.

Speaking of Weiss...

He gave a little "woah!" of surprise as the heiress swiftly turned and rushed past him, her ponytail whipping through the air. She bumped into him on the way and faltered a bit.

"Watch where you're going!" She shouted at him, keeping her face turned away from him. Seeing her embarrassment made him blush a little in turn.

"S-s-sorry." He made his voice as crestfallen as possible, but secretly he was happy. There was a sort of triumph that came with the flush of red in her cheeks, like he was flying a banner of victory over her for the world to see.

 _Would it be alright to call it that? Maybe not out loud..._

Ruby jumped in to excuse her partner. "We need to do a little something something before mission sign up, so you guys should go ahead of us! Might want to beat the crowd. Looks like there's a looooot of people here." Furtive, she went up to Jaune and whispered, "Just between you and me, I don't think all of these guys are from Vale..."

Jaune snorted a little at her joke and waved her goodbye, leaving team RWBY to make its getaway with a confused Blake and Yang in tow. Pyrrha crossed her arms and cleared her throat.

"What's got you so happy?"

"Eh? Happy?" Jaune checked his face. Somehow, he was smiling widely. "No, I'm not... ummm..."

She chuckled at his confusion. "I understand how you're feeling, Jaune. You're excited because you and Weiss are on good terms again."

"That didn't look like good terms to me," Ren said, but Nora jumped in and slung an arm around his neck.

"Oh, you're so silly Renren! Weiss is totally acting all flustery and gooey!"

"Well, I get that, but-" Ren tried to make himself heard, struggling a little in Nora's friendly headlock.

"Good job, Jaune," Pyrrha said. "I'm not sure what you did, but I knew you could do it."

"Thanks?" Jaune scratched his head humbly, holding back his cheers of joy. So he wasn't just jumping to conclusions, Pyrrha could see it too! His chest swelled with pride in himself. He didn't get to feel this sense of accomplishment very much, but it made him kind of dizzy, as if he was suddenly seeing the world from a slightly higher vantage point than he was used to.

"Just don't get too ahead of yourself. You and Weiss aren't dating, are you?"

"Well, no..."

 _Not yet at least,_ he thought, then shook the idea away.

"Then the battle is still unfinished!" Pyrrha straightened up and smacked one hand into Jaune's back, forcing him to do the same. "Keep working hard at it like you always do. It's one of your more attractive qualities."

Jaune blushed a little. "Thanks, Pyrrha."

"Maybe if you try the guitar again, it'll seal the deal!" Nora said.

"I'm pretty sure she slammed the door in his face last time," Ren pointed out.

"Maybe _this_ time she'll slam _her_ face into his face!"

The four of them had a good laugh over Nora's suggestion and went to sign up for missions. While Jaune seemed to walk on air wherever he went, Pyrrha took the lead in tapping their team name into the holoscreen with a gentle smile for her partner's carefree attitude.

 _Almost. I'm almost there.  
_

* * *

 _Way too close!_

Weiss and the rest of team RWBY were walking at a brisk pace in the opposite direction of the meeting hall.

 _I need more time, more time!_

"Ruby, where are we going?" Yang asked.

"Ummmmm... almost there!" Ruby was a horrible liar and she knew it.

 _Okay, time is of the essence here. Next time I meet him, how do I act?_

"Ruby, I'm starting to get a little mad..."

 _Passive? Aggressive? Passive aggressive? I can't decide!_

"I'm fairly certain Ruby has no idea where she wants to go right now," Blake said.

 _Aloof? Mean? Nice?_

"Wait a second, Ruby, are you feeling alright? You look a little weird..." Yang's sisterly instincts began to fire up, but Weiss payed no attention.

 _Caring? Cruel? ...cute?_

 _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!_

Ruby stopped suddenly, and Weiss crashed directly into her back. Being smaller and slightly less stable at the moment, she stumbled back and nearly fell. Luckily, Ruby whipped around and caught her hand.

"Keep your eyes peeled for collisions, Weiss," Blake was rather deadpan about this whole morning and the preceding events. However, it was likely she who was thinking the hardest at that point in time. Weiss' reactions were just setting off flags left and right.

With a heave and a little grunt she yanked the heiress back to her feet. Funnily enough, Weiss felt steadier after that minor impact. However, it didn't help that she was feeling particularly vulnerable, and that that feeling was entirely Jaune's fault, who she'd stated she would never let herself be bothered with. Those feelings bubbled up and jumped on the first victim they could find as she lashed out at Ruby.

"What the heck was that for? You drag me all over the place and then can't even warn me when you're about to knock me over? Honestly, this is why I can't rely on you: you just do whatever you want and-"

"I wanted to help."

Weiss was briefly stunned to silence. Ruby was looking directly at her, unwavering. That gaze compelled her to answer, but she averted her eyes.

"Wh-what do you mean by that?" Oh no. She messed up there. _Dammit, this is embarrassing!_ Now the entire team was focused not on Ruby but Weiss, watching and waiting for her next mistake. She could feel in her bones how they were judging her. _Don't subject me to this! Stop ganging up on me!_ Panic was ruining her composure.

"Well... I know that you don't want to be around Jaune right now."

Weiss drew a quick breath, legitimately shocked. How did she notice? She was convinced that of all people Ruby wouldn't pick at this incident.

"And if you don't want to hang out with him, that's cool. I'll support you in that decision. But you don't need to distance yourself from all of us at once." Ruby rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, but she kept her eyes fixed on Weiss. "So let's work together on this, alright? We can talk about it and come to a conclusion together, as a team."

A moment of quiet. Nobody had expected Ruby to be this mature about the whole situation. Yang and Blake looked at their feet, ashamed for having given Weiss such a hard time about it.

"I... thank you Ruby," Weiss said softly. She moved towards her team leader, now comforted by the firmness of her gaze.

Yang stepped forward. "Look, sorry Weiss. We didn't know you were so upset about the whole thing with Jaune." Blake nodded.

Seeing a general uplifting of spirits, Ruby smiled widely. "And then after that we'll all be able to hang out with team JNPR and have a big cookie party!"

"Okay, that's more like Ruby." The whole team murmured agreement at Ruby's expense.

"Besides, we're best friends, right? This is what friends do for each other." Ruby gestured for a group hug, but Weiss recoiled.

"T-teammates. We're teammates."

"And friends."

"...sure." The heiress turned to hide her smile. "I'm feeling a lot better now. Let's go and get our mission assignment."

"Oh, she's back on track now," Blake said.

"Alright, Operation: Keep Weiss From Flipping Out In Front Of Jaune is a go!" Yang and Ruby jumped and highfived in midair, which is much harder to do than one might assume.

"Jeez, you guys are just so..." She puffed her cheeks and stomped off, her heart much lighter than before. The rest of the group followed, chatting amiably and forming the battle plan that Weiss so desperately needed and now could talk about at leisure.

 _Sorry Weiss. I had to tell a little white lie._

* * *

Cardin strutted into the courtyard, chest swollen with a sudden intake of pride. The looks on his teammates' faces were priceless! Thankfully his teammates were still listening to him; now all he had to do was wait and see whether they'd keep following him as he pushed the limits. How far could he take this before it all came crumbling down? How far could he go before he was no longer the alpha?

Regardless, he'd confirmed that they were still obedient to him, and that was all that mattered for now. With the exhilaration of dominating others fresh in his mind, Cardin all but forgot about his other worries. Everything was looking up, or in a general skywards direction at least.

Strolling into the open sun, Cardin basked in the warm air while letting his eyes adjust. So many people were out and about today thanks to the upcoming Vytal festival. Oh god, how would his team do there? He shuddered a little. So far, their combat scores still weren't on par with many of his classmates.

Maybe he could instate a training regimen or something and coach the others? Ah, but first he'd have to get himself into shape... and he wasn't entirely sure about his teaching skills... Wait, how did he manage to ruin his own good mood? He concentrated on happy thoughts. Winning... being Cardin... getting back to the books he'd checked out this morning... alright, he was back in the groove!

What did he have left to do? He crossed his arms and pondered to himself as he walked aimlessly. Maybe he could pack up really quick before they left on the mission? He turned in the direction of the dorms and picked up the pace a little. Village defense meant they'd have accommodations for the night, but imposing too much on the locals would reflect negatively on their team's performance. What if he brought a book? No, he probably wouldn't have any time to relax while on the job...

"Hey, team CFVY's back!" A nameless student dashed in front of him to go greet someone across the courtyard, yelling loudly to no one in particular.

 _Excuse me random passerby, could you not interrupt my inner monologue?_ He was wearing the Beacon uniform too. Shouldn't Cardin know his name? This guy may even have been in some of his classes.

Wait, what was the name of the team? He whirled in the direction the anonymous student had indicated. Something about that acronym rung a bell...

 _Oh._

He froze in place, the pride in chest suddenly deflating, leaving him struggling for air.

She turned and caught his eye by chance.

A shiver passed over her.

Something caught fire within him.

Cardin turned silently and took flight down the corridor, trying to escape those brown, pleading eyes. And what a beautiful brown it was. Soft, docile... flammable. A muted tone that would never shine, the fuel for a bright fire. Dirt.

Red was the worst color by far.

* * *

 **Oooooh, big cliffhanger!**

 **Wow this took a long time to finish. I was struggling for a damn long time with Weiss and Jaune's parts (Cardin just comes more naturally to me for some reason) and rewrote a lot of stuff over and over. It was truly via the blessing of your wonderful reviews that I managed to finish this :)**

 **Also, it's become more and more clear to me that I messed up pretty badly with the portrayal of Ruby in the first chapter. I'm currently working on revisions right now, but for the moment you can have this chapter right up here! Just to be clear, I don't want to treat Ruby as a child in this series. She's barely a year behind the rest of the cast, so that just wouldn't be right. My perspective on it is... hmmm... love is complicated.**

 **Yeah, that's about right :/  
**

 **That's all I have for now! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Tell me where I went wrong in a review below and have a super fantastigood day!**

 **P.S. Something seems to have changed in the description... what could it be? OooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOooooooOOOOO**


	4. Chapter 4

**Updating at 9:00 PM instead of the morning because I need to finally publish this for all you readers who are following this story. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Jaune jogged through the halls of Beacon, the tapping of his sneakers echoing all around him. With the majority of the students mingling in the courtyard, the dorms were pretty empty. Even amidst this silence however, Jaune's brain was full of marching bands and fanfare. Every time he thought of Weiss another brassy trumpet went off in his head, followed by a fireworks accompaniment.

 _"How could you forget? Run back and get it right away!"_ Pyrrha's orders were nearly drowned out by joy, but an Arc always stays on target. That was something Jaune's grandfather used to say before he ended up in the hospital for a William Tell-esque arrow injury. Nonlethal, of course.

Jaune racked his brain for where he could have left it. It was entirely possible he had forgotten it somewhere stupid, under the bed or on the bathroom counter. His upper drawer, his closet, the desk, there really were too many spaces available to lose things. What if he just removed all the furniture from the room? He didn't need all those separate compartments; Jaune basically wore the same thing every day anyway. He could just store his spare jeans and hoodies under the bed and it'd be fine.

Wait, maybe Weiss wouldn't approve of that? She was a pretty clean person overall. He'd have to keep it a secret from her, along with the fact that he washed every other other day. Jaune wondered if he should revise his shower schedule.

 _Well, whatever, its not like she's going to come over and look at my room... or could she?_ Jaune's mind had been rather chaste during these past few weeks, but now that romantic success was plausible it was once again beginning to wander towards darker territories. His jog slowed to a walk and he twiddled his thumbs meekly. It was probably a mistake to think so far ahead... or even think about that at all.

Yes, Weiss was a pure woman, pure as snow, and Jaune would not sully her name with his lecherous ways. An Arc always treats his woman with the utmost care! That was something Jaune's great uncle used to say before he was severely injured in an intense skirmish with his wife and his girlfriend. Somehow, his role models were never as model as he would prefer...

Deep in thought, Jaune almost glanced over the figure waiting by the dormitory elevator. The clicking of heels on tile caught his attention.

"Who...?"

* * *

The door swung open, revealing the large armored figure seated on the floor. Cardin looked up, mentally prepared for the conversation, and opened his mouth to speak.

"Jau-" He suddenly choked on his words when he realized who was looking at him. As Cardin fell into a hacking fit Pyrrha, equally surprised to find the boy in her room, stopped dead in the doorframe. Ready to leave him to his own devices, she passed on her better judgement and called out to him.

"Do you... do you need help?"

"Not an issue!" Cardin wheezed, lifting himself to his feet and rushing past her. "I was just leaving, actually. No problem!" Where was Jaune now that he needed him?

Pyrrha blinked at his brusqueness. "If you are searching for Jaune, it appears he isn't here. I'd like to know where he is myself, actually." She turned to the departing Cardin. "If you find him, tell him to come see me."

"Sure, sure," he said without looking her in the eye. He couldn't face her now. He just wasn't in the right place now...

...

But was it really okay to keep his distance?

At Beacon everyone fought a common enemy, but Cardin still broke his ties to the others within days of entering the academy. By his own hand he cut himself and his team off from the rest of the students, isolating himself. What he'd give to sit around a lunch table with dozens of friends the way Jaune did, people he could rely on and ask for help. If he could go back, he'd change it all in a heartbeat.

If he could rely on her now...

"Pyrrha."

Did she react? With his back turned on her he couldn't read her face, and he couldn't hear any sounds of movement. He clenched his fists. Dammit, this was almost as terrifying as when he confessed.

"I'm... I think I need help."

Still nothing. He was trembling. What did she think about this? Probably disgusted at his weakness. Should he leave? He'd been standing still out of fear, to the point that his legs were filling with pins and needles. This was a bad idea, in retrospect.

"Well, that's the first step to dealing with a problem."

Her voice finally breaking through the quiet was like ice being pressed against his spine, making his hair stand on end. Turning carefully, he made eye contact with the redhaired Huntress. There was a kind smile on her lips.

"Well Cardin? What did you need help with?"

A true angel.

"It's... it's a bit... embarrassing."

"Go ahead." Pyrrha looked around for somewhere to sit, then gestured to Jaune's bed. "Why didn't you take a seat earlier?"

The bed creaked under the weight of Cardin's armor. "It was kind of awkward, I wasn't too sure. Y'know, some people get all upset when you touch their stuff."

Pyrrha relaxed into her own mattress across from him. "True, Jaune is a touch effeminate when it comes to personal space. Now," she said, racking her brain for whatever she could remember about the child psychology holofilms, "what did you need help with?"

Cardin thought hard about how to phrase it. Was there really any way to not be the villain in this scenario? How to tell her...

"Well... I want to make friends again. You know that, right?"

Pyrrha beamed at him. So that's all it was? "Of course Cardin. And I hope _you_ know that I consider us good friends."

"Thanks." Cardin was unsure of whether he deserved the additional 'good' label, but he grinned anyway, and she took it as him accepting her reassurance. "I was... a real jerk to a lot of people. I get it."

 _A jerk. Sure._

"So I want to make amends, but..."

"...but?" She held her smile, unflinching.

"Maybe... some people can't be friends, no matter how hard they try."

"That's a valid point," Pyrrha said, speaking like a mother to a confused toddler. "There's so many different personalities here at Beacon. Some people just don't get along. You don't have to be friends with everybody."

"Exactly." He was breathing a bit harder, perhaps out of relief. Her smile was lifting him out of the funk he'd been wallowing in for an hour. Just a few minutes with Pyrrha and he was already feeling so much better.

 _Pyrrha... I really do..._

"People are different, and so sometimes its fine not to get along with people. When they're... different..."

She rested her head on her hand, leaning towards him with new interest. "It's alright to not be friends, but you can't dislike people without getting to know them first. Who..."

 _Uh oh_

"Who are you having problems with, Cardin?"

In retrospect, he had been right; this was a bad idea. He couldn't have tiptoed around this fact forever.

"...the Faunus."

Pyrrha looked at him blankly. "Which one?"

"...well ...all of them."

She got to her feet. "Cardin, I hope you realize what you're saying."

"I thought you'd hear me out."

"I have heard you out, but I'm not sure I appreciate what you're implying." Her face was calm, but her eyes lacked any compassion.

"It's _my_ opinion, Pyrrha. Why are you getting so pissy?"

"Cardin, you're a _racist_. Did you think I was going to _support_ that?"

His lips curled into a snarl, but he forced himself out of the ugly expression. "I really need your help here, Pyrrha. Can we forget about what you think I'm going to say until I actually have a chance to explain myself?" His heart beat faster, faster, the sound bouncing about in his iron chestplate like a war drum.

She inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Fine. Tell me how you justify your racism." There it was again, that word. Like the hissing of a venomous snake, it pulled all his nerves tight and made his stomach drop. A cruel, filthy word, and a cruel, filthy color. There was something so fundamentally wrong with that, the vision of his pristine armor permanently stained red and brown by this evil brand.

He couldn't take it.

"SHUT UP!" Cardin surged from his place on the bed and squared his shoulders against Pyrrha. Side by side he practically dwarfed her, his massive frame enhanced by his aggressive stance. His vision began to blur again as the red of her hair blended with the scarlet rage seething within him. "I... I don't know what I was thinking telling you!"

"I'm pretty sure you knew exactly what you were doing Cardin! You wanted me to tell you 'it's fine, don't worry about it'! You wanted me to take your side!"

She was shouting at him. It wasn't just the cold disapproval anymore, but real animosity. _She hates me now._ If it weren't for the blinding anger he would have shrank away. He would have tried to calm her, or laugh it off, anything to stop her from being angry at him. Of all the people he was okay with leaving behind, she was the one he didn't want to lose.

Instead he turned on her.

"Fuck off! I don't need your sympathy! Where do you get off thinking we're friends, huh?"

"Cardin, I _am_ your friend, but I'm not going to sympathize with you for being a bigot!"

"Real great friend you are, Pyrrha! Kick me when I'm down, why don't you!"

"I want to help you Cardin, but you're making this really difficult."

"YOU'RE the one being difficult!" He pointed one meaty finger in her face, coming dangerously close to touching her face.

She narrowed her eyes at him over his trembling digit. "I can't believe you. I thought you'd become a better person."

A moment of silence. His fury rose to the boiling point. And then...

Cardin pushed Pyrrha.

It wasn't a light push. He put a decent amount of weight into the attack, but Pyrrha was not one to be sent flying easily. She slid an inch or two at most.

But her resistance only fueled his rage.

The second attack was far stronger.

Pyrrha was ready this time.

She saw it coming, moved deftly to the side and threw Cardin over her shoulder. His back hit the floor with a sharp crack and his feet landed up over her bed. The pain shocked him back to his senses, but it was already too late.

He looked up at her and saw nothing. No smiles. No reassurance. Not even an inkling of anger.

"Get out."

He grunted, twisted and lifted himself off the ground, armor and all. Both parties refused to make eye contact. Cardin stepped into the open hallway and noticed how hot he had gotten.

"Come back when you're ready to... talk reasonably."

The door slammed shut.

Cardin took a breath.

"Fucking liars."

* * *

Coming to a screeching halt in front of his room, Jaune threw open the door and scanned the room.

"Pyrrha!" he called, catching his breath. "Have you seen Cardin?"

Pyrrha was cross-legged on her bed. Turning to him with downcast eyes, she said "...yes..."

"Really? When did you see him? Where did he go?"

Pyrrha shot up. "Why does it matter where that guy goes?"

Jaune didn't respond immediately, but the fear on his face was telling enough. It was clear from his face that he had been searching all around campus, running like a chased animal.

"She's here," Jaune choked out.

She had only three words for Cardin.

"...he deserves it."

* * *

Cardin held his head in his hands on the steps of the Beacon dormitories. The irregular drumlike beating of his heart gradually died down as he cooled off in the open air. Why had he been so angry? Why did he attack her like that? Why... why did he try to do something so cruel to Pyrrha?

No, it wasn't just Pyrrha. He'd done things like that before to Jaune and the Faunus girl too. It wasn't cruel, he was just... he lost control. He was angry. Too hotheaded, upset and emotionally distraught to tell the difference between her and those who deserved it...

Who was he trying to fool. Only one person deserved a beating in this situation.

"Found you."

* * *

 **I checked Google Images for height comparisons of RWBY characters, and none of the lineup charts I found had Cardin in him. Really guys? Is he too despicable for SI units or something?  
**

 **So yeah, I've been missing for a long time. A lot of the reason is procrastination, some of it can be more recently attributed to my new summer job, but most of it is me trying to figure out how to write an openly racist character as sympathetic. Yes, that is what I'm trying to do. No, I do not condone racism. Yes, I am trying to fully redeem Cardin. No, I will not be passing it off as 'he never REALLY believed in that stuff'.**

 **And of course, yes, Jaune will have his Arc (see what I did there). I'm aware it's bad form to leave this on a cliffhanger the same way I did last time and risk an indefinite hiatus again, but this story is going to flow the way I want it to one way or another.**

 **HOWEVER, if you guys have suggestions or complaints, leave a review and I'll do my best to respond (I haven't been able to see some of my reviews on despite receiving emails about them, so I might not be able to reply)! Sorry again for this super long gap in chapters, and hopefully I'll see you guys soon! Thanks for putting up with me and have a super wonderful day!  
**

 **Edit: In response to Winddemon's review, no, I am not changing the fact that many people in Remnant share Cardin's opinions on Faunus. However, the main cast of the series is very openly against that sort of thinking, and from what we've seen Beacon is the equivalent of a liberal college, so Pyrrha's reaction is in line with the common sentiment of her peers. A lot of her reaction comes from the disconnect between 'racist' and 'redemption': their friendship had progressed somewhat during The Dance, so learning the person she had accepted as 'redeemed' stills holds some unsavoury opinions comes as a bit of a shock.**

 **Edit#2: Wow, 100+ followers! This calls for a celebration!**

✧ (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

 **Alright, party's over.**


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